1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to manufacturing and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for processing a workpiece. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for clamping a workpiece to perform operations on the workpiece.
2. Background
In assembling structures such as those for an aircraft, rivets and/or other types of fasteners may be installed to attach parts to each other. These types of fasteners may be installed into airframe structures. The airframe structures include, for example, without limitation, wing and fuselage skins, supporting structures, and/or other suitable structures.
It is desirable to perform the drilling of holes and insertion of fasteners using a one-up assembly process. A one-up assembly process involves assembling the layers for the workpiece at one time. These layers are parts that are to be fastened to each other without having to take the layers apart during the assembly process. For example, a skin panel may be fastened to a spar or spar cap. These parts make up the layers in the workpiece. In another example, a skin panel may be attached to a frame of a fuselage. These parts also form a workpiece.
After the parts have been put together to form a workpiece, operations may be performed on the workpiece. For example, the workpiece is drilled, inspected, and fastened without the removal of layers from each other for other operations, such as deburring, cleaning, sealing, and other suitable operations.
With currently used systems, the drilling forces may cause inconsistencies in the workpiece, gaps between layers in the workpiece, and burrs that may be undesirable. As a result, one common process to assemble these types of aircraft structures involves placing the components in a clamping device, such as a jig. Parts, such as skin panels, spars, and/or ribs, are loaded into a jig to form the layers in the workpiece. Holes are then drilled through the parts. Thereafter, the parts are disassembled for other operations, such as deburring and cleanup. The parts are reassembled with sealants and/or fasteners.
This type of process uses equipment and floor space. Further, the process of drilling holes, disassembling the parts, and then reassembling the parts increases the time needed to assemble a wing as compared to using a one-up process. As a result, currently used processes may have increased time and/or expense that may be undesirable with respect to manufacturing aircraft or other large structures.
Thus, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least one of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.